New Petco fences suiting Padres fine

The Padres took on the Rockies on a drizzly afternoon at Petco Park.

The Padres on Friday return from the All-Star break to a three-game series in St. Louis, where their road woes may well continue against the first-place Cardinals.

At home in San Diego, though, they are 27-23 this season, seemingly undeterred and, in some respects, boosted by the reconfigured Petco Park.

Its much more fair, Will Venable said recently of the previously cavernous ballpark. It definitely is making a difference.

Its dimensions shortened last offseason, Petco Park is serving up more home runs per game than in any year since 2006. While overall run production has yet to budge in a venue that remains distinctly pitcher-friendly, the Padres appear to have shed a bit of the psychological baggage gained in 2004 with the stadiums opening.

With the walls in right field and left-center moved in by an average of 10 feet, Petco Park has seen an average of 1.92 home runs per game this season, making it the National Leagues ninth-toughest ballpark in which to homer. (Petco Park has seen a higher home run average only in 2006, at 2.06 per game.)

Last year Petco Park saw 1.35 home runs per game, making it the NLs second-toughest ballpark in which to homer. Only San Francisco's AT&T Park (1.04) presented more of a challenge.

Its better having it this way, Chase Headley said, because when you hit a ball like that, it deserves to be a homer and there were times last year when it wasnt.

Fifty home games into this new era, there have been 16 homers hit at Petco Park that wouldnt have cleared the fences last year. Opponents hold a 9-7 advantage. That ratio is consistent with the 102 home runs allowed by the Padres overall this season, compared to the 88 hit by San Diego.

"Park factor" compares the rate of stats at home vs. the rate of stats on the road. A rate higher than 1.000 favors the hitter. Below 1.000 favors the pitcher.

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New Petco fences suiting Padres fine